Car aerial



y 1939- o. s. HARRINGTON CAR AERIAL Filed Aug. 12, 1938 0. SHarrjngZmz LEAD IN ATTORNEYS Patented July 18, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to car aerials and has for an object to provide an aerial which may be installed at any convenient place on the car and which will be extended to operative position when 6 the car radio switch is turned to circuit closing position and which will be retracted to release position to be inconspicuous when the car radio switch is opened.

A further object is to provide a device of this 10 character which will be formed of a few strong simple and durable parts, which will be inexpensive to manufacture and which will not easily get out of order.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, it being understood that various modifications may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims without 20 departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification,

Figure l is a longitudinal sectional view of a 25 car aerial constructed in accordance with a car aerial and shown in retracted position.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 but drawn to enlarged scale.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken on the 30 line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Referring now to the drawing in which like characters of reference designate similar parts in the various views, l designates a tubular housing having slidably mounted therein a tubular 85 aerial member adapted to be projected from the housing and extend into the air above or adjacent to a motor vehicle l2.

The aerial member is projected and retracted through the medium of a rotatable, vertically ar- 40 ranged worm l3 which is sleeved on the aerial member H and is provided with a longitudinal spiral slot M the convolutions of which are suitably spaced apart to receive a pair of pins l5 which extend laterally from the aerial member I 45 For causing rotation of the worm there is provided a reversible motor l6, operated by the motor vehicle battery and having its shaft l1 arranged horizontally and provided at the end with a bevel gear l8 which meshes with a bevel gear l9 fixed to 50 the lower end of the worm. The reversing circuit wires 20 and 2| are so connected to the car radio switch 22 that when the switch is turned to on position the motor is started and the worm is rotated to elevate the aerial member through 55 the medium of the pins l5. When the pins arrive at their upper limit of movement the motor circuit is broken as will now be described.

A switch rod 23 is mounted to slide vertically in a bearing 24 which forms the bottom of the housing It). The switch rod is provided with spaced stop collars 25 and 26. A pin 21 projects inwardly from the aerial member between these stop collars. The pin is located near the bottom of the aerial member and is carried upwardly by the aerial member when the latter is extended, striking against the upper stop collar 25 and lifting the switch rod 23 to open a snap switch about to be described, in the motor circuit and stop rotation of the motor.

The snap switch comprises a switch arm 28 which is pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on a tender 29 which rises from a switch housing 30 disposed below the bearing 24. The switch arm is pivotally connected at one end to the lower end of the switch rod 23. The free end of the switch arm is adapted to engage alternately a pair of stationary switch contacts 3| and 32 which are carried by the switch housing, when the switch arm 28 is swung to either of its circuit closing positions. A pair of spring tongues 33 are secured to the bearing 24 and are provided with V-shaped free ends 34.

A collar 35 is slidably mounted on the switch rod 23 and is yieldably held by helical springs 33 which bear against stop collars 31 on the rod.

When the pin 21 of the aerial member engages the upper stop collar 25 of the switch rod the latter will be moved upwardly and will swing the switch arm 28 from the contact 3| and onto the contact 32 thus opening the motor circuit at this point at the contact 3| and closing the motor circuit at the contact 32 for the next reversing operation. When the switch rod is thus raised the collar will be moved upwardly past the vshaped free ends 34 and lodged thereabove with a spring action.

When the radio switch is turned to open circuit the motor will be energized and reversed to rotate the worm l3 in a retrograde direction and carry the pins l5 downwardly thereby lowering or retracting the aerial member I I. At the same time the switch rod 23 will be pushed downwardly when the pin 21 of the aerial member engages the lower stop collar 26 and will rock the switch arm 28 from the contact 32 thereby opening the motor circuit and will engage the switch arm 28 with the contact 3| thereby closing the motor circuit at this point for the next elevating operation. Meanwhile the collar 35 has been moved. downwardly past the V-shaped extremities 34 with a snap action, ready for the next operation.

The aerial lead-in wire 38 is connected to a binding post 39 secured to the switch housing 30, it being understood that the switch housing 30, housing It, and aerial member II are all formed of metal and that the switch contacts and electrical conductors are thoroughly insulated therefrom in any preferred manner. Also the housing in of the aerial is secured to the vehicle [2 by an upper bracket arm 40 and a lower tubular bracket arm ii through which latter the motor shaft is engaged, both brackets being thoroughly insulated from the vehicle body through the medium of respective insulating bushings 42 and 43.

The wiring diagram shown in Figure 3 is conventional and in this diagram one side of the battery 44 is shown as being connected by a conductor wire 45 to the pivoted switch arm 28. A conductor wire 46 connects the contact 3! with one of the switch contacts of the car radio switch 22 which completes the circuit through the wire 20 for rotating the motor in one direction when the switch is turned to start the radio. A conductor wire ll connects the contact 32 with one of the switch contacts of the radio switch 22 which completes the circuit through the wire 2! to reverse the direction of the rotation of the motor when the switch 22 is turned to shut off the radio. I Y

For directing the sliding movement upwardly and downwardly of the antenna member H a longitudinal guide slot 48 is formed in the memher and a guide pin 39 projects into this slot. The guide pin is carried by a cap 50 which closes the upper end of the cylindrical housing It! and which retains in placea bearing 5! for the upper end of the antenna aerial member ii. A hollow stub shaft 52 projects from the upperend of the worm l3 and is sleeved upon the bearing to rotatably mount the worm at the upper end. The worm is provided with a stub shaft 53 at the lower end which is rotatably receivedin a bearing formed integral with the bearing plate 22 heretofore described to rotatably mount the worm at the bottom.

Since the operation of the parts has been described as the description of the parts progressed it is thought that the invention will be fully understood without further explanation.

What is claimed is: I

1. Radio receiving apparatus for motor vehicles, comprising the combination with a receiving set having a control switch, of a tubular housing adapted to be secured to a motor vehicle, an aerial member slidably mounted in the housing and adapted to be projected from the housing, a worm sleeved on the aerial member a pin projecting from the aerial member and engaging the worm for moving the aerial member in a rectilinear direction when the worm is rotated, a reversing motor geared to the worm to extend the aerial member when rotating in one direction to retract the aerial member when rotating in the opposite direction, a source cf current respective circuits for reversing the field of the motor connected to said source of current and connected to the radio control switch to be controlled by said switch, turning the radio switch to on position, starting the motor for elevating the aerial, and turning the radio switch to off position reversing the motor to lower the aerial, a limit switch having two operative positions connected in said motor circuits, on the opposite side of the motor from the current source, and means carried by the aerial and engaging the limit switch to move the limit switch to one position to close one of the motor circuits when the aerial is elevated and to move the limit switch to its other position to close the other motor circuit when the aerial is lowered.

2. Radio receiving apparatus for motor vehicles, comprising a tubular housing adapted to be secured to a motor vehicle, an aerial member ,slidably mounted in the housing and adapted to be projected from the housing and extend into the air above or adjacent to' the vehicle body, a worm sleeve sleeved on the aerial member, a pin projecting from the aerial member and engaging the worm for moving the aerial member in a rectilinear direction when the worm is rotated, a reversing motor geared to the worm, a source of current supply, respective circuits for reversing the field of the motor connected to said source of current supply a switch controlling the circuits, said switch being located between the source of current supply and the motor, a limit switch having two operative positions connected in said motor circuits on the opposite side of the motor from the current source, and means carried by the aerial member and engaging the limit switch to move the ,limit switch to one position to close one of the motor circuits when the aerial member is elevated and to move the limit switch to its other position to close the other motor circuit when the aerial member is lowered.

3. Radio receiving apparatus for motor vehicles, comprising a tubular housing adapted to 1 be secured to the vehicle body, a tubular aerial member therein adapted to be projected from the housing, a worm sleeved on the aerial member, a pin projecting from the aerial member and engaging the worm for moving the aerial member in a rectilinear direction when the worm is rotated in either direction, a reversing motor geared to the worm for actuating the worm, a source of current supply, respective circuits for rotating the motor in opposite directions connected to said source of current supply, a switch controlling said circuit, a switch rod slidably mounted in said aerial member and having spaced collars therein, a pin projecting from said aerial member between said collars and adapted to engage one of the collars when the aerial is at its upper limit of movement and adapted to engage the other collar when the aerial member is at its lower limit of movement, said pin when in engagement with either of said collars being adapted to move said switch rod, and a limit switch connected to said switch rod and having two operative positions, said limit switch being connected in said motor circuit,said pin when in engagement with one of said collars moving the switch rod to move the limit switch to one position and close one circuit of the motor when the aerial member is elevated and when in engagement with the other collar moving the switch rod to move the limit switch to its other position to close the other circuit of the motor when the aerial is lowered.

OSCAR S. HARRINGTON. 

